


Camp Wawanakwa

by thetiniestnerd



Category: Total Drama
Genre: Alternate Universe - Summer Camp, Anxiety, F/F, F/M, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, anxious!Duncan
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-24
Updated: 2017-05-18
Packaged: 2018-10-23 06:37:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10714194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thetiniestnerd/pseuds/thetiniestnerd
Summary: Camp Wawanakwa is a summer camp for middle schoolers. The crew from TDI are the counsellors. Duncan befriends Lindsay during the first half of the summer, as they both drool over two cuties they work with; DJ and Beth. When a kid in the group loses their stuffed animal on a hike, Duncan goes on a quest to find it, ending up alone on the trial for most of the night. DJ finds him in the morning and realizes what a soft heart the boy from juvie has.[Duncan is gay, and he moved in with Geoff as his foster brother the year before because his parents didn't like it. He also has anxiety from the way his parents treated him, and he still deals with the issues that come from anxiety.]





	1. Bunny

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AniPendragon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AniPendragon/gifts).



> I blame Ani entirely for bingeing TDI with me and getting me into rare pair hell. This is your fault. Also, this will probably be 10-12 chapters, but since I don't know exactly it's marked as unknown. I also won't be updating regularly probably.

Duncan sat across from Lindsay on the girls’ cabin floor, the little glass bottles at his feet clinking. Lindsay had her hand on his knee, and he was doing his best not to drip the red nail polish on his black jeans. “C’mon, Duncan, spill,” she urged. She had the biggest grin on her face.

“Alright, alright, sheesh,” Duncan teased, setting the bottle down. He’d just finished the first layer. He leaned back on his hands and smiled. “So I was running the volleyball tournament, and that one kid, the one with diabetes-”

“Jayla?” Lindsay interjected. 

“Yeah, yeah, I think so,” Duncan replied. “Anyways, she needed something to eat, cause she wasn’t feeling well, so I ran down to the kitchen for her.”

“And?” Lindsay prompted. She had stopped blowing on her nails to speak. Duncan grinned, leaned forwards, and grabbed the bright green nail polish. He fiddled with the bottle as he continued to speak. 

“DJ was the only one in there,” he declared. Lindsay clapped softly. “He was working on the snacks for the kids, and he was wearing an apron.” Duncan sighed. “And he kinda just, I don’t know, but he grinned at me, and it felt, like, really special?” He scoffed. “God, I sound like an idiot. Anyways, he was super sweet, and he gave me an extra snack, and I think it was for me? I don’t know, but I could have sworn he winked at me when I was leaving?”

Lindsay squealed. “He is soooo flirting with you!” She exclaimed. “He, like, so totally wants you!”

Duncan snorted. “Yeah, okay.” He held his hands out for Lindsay’s, and she displayed her nails. He inspected them briefly before pulling out the red glittery nail polish.

“Oooh, glitter!” She whispered, smiling softly at Duncan. They’d become fast friends; by the end of their week long counsellor training they had become best friends. It probably had to do with Duncan’s painted nails with the little black hearts on the thumbs.

“What about you?” Duncan asked as he started in on her left hand. “How’re things with you and Beth?”

Lindsay smiled again, but it was a softer smile. Duncan had figured out about two weeks prior that it was her Beth smile. “She’s so great,” Lindsay murmured. “She went on a walk down the beach with me last night to find shells and stuff for the crafts the kids made earlier.”

“Wow, long walks on the beach, huh?” Duncan teased. Lindsay stuck her tongue out at him, and he laughed. “Really though, that sounds great. Anything  _ romantic _ happen?”

Lindsay hummed quietly for a few seconds. “I don’t know. I mean our hands kept brushing, but I don’t know if that counts?”

Duncan shrugged. “I don’t know, man. If you wanted, I could offer to paint her nails? Maybe ask her about any gossip or anything else in her life? See if she says anything?”

It took Lindsay a minute to respond. “Do you think she’d know?” She finally asked. The door to the cabin creaked, and Lindsay jumped. It was just Leshawna, carrying a small painted birdhouse with little seashells glued to the bottom. 

“Oh hey girl!” She crowed, smiling down at Lindsay specifically. She seemed to be admiring the colour of her nails. “I  _ love _ those nails, Duncan. Think you could do mine sometime?”

Duncan smirked a little. “What do I get out of it?” Leshawna rolled her eyes and nudged him with her foot.

“Don’t push it boy. You’re on my floor,” she joked. She set the birdhouse in the little box of crafts under her bed. 

“Hey, it’s my floor too!” Lindsay exclaimed. Leshawna laughed, gently pushing her shoulder. Lindsay started laughing too, shifting to let Leshawna sit next to her. She settled on the floor, sifting through the little bin of nail polishes. 

“Are these yours honey?” She asked, looking up at Duncan.

“Yeah,” he replied, raising his chin a bit. “What of it?”

She shook her head.”Nothin’, sugar. Ain’t nothin’ wrong with likin’ nail polish. You’re better at it than most of us anyways; can’t complain about that.”

Duncan smiled. He’d finished Lindsay’s nails, except for the top coat. He set the glittery red back in his bin and sorted through the colours. He pulled out a lavender and a hot pink. “Which one?” He asked, wiggling the bottles at Leshawna. She frowned, inspecting each colour thoroughly. The sun was starting to set behind the cabin, casting a deep orange light across the floor. 

She started to point to the lavender when there was a very timid knock on the door. “Come in!” Lindsay called. One of the kids stood in the doorway; a shy little boy clutching at the hem of his shirt. 

“Something wrong?” Duncan asked. The kid nodded, and it was then that he realized the kid was crying. He motioned to the girls to stand up. The kids were usually scared of him, with his bright green hair and piercings. Lindsay and Leshawna jumped up and went to his side, each with a hand on one shoulder.

“What’s the matter honey?” Leshawna murmured. The kid sniffled and wiped at his face with his sleeve.

“I lost my little bunny,” he whimpered. “On-on the h-hike.” 

“Your bunny?” Lindsay repeated. “What does it look like?”

“He’s brown, a-and he has a pink ri-ibbon. He’s this big.” The kid held his hands about ten inches apart. “I-I can’t sleep without him.” Leshawna looked to the window. The last light was fading; just getting to the head of the trail they’d run out of light, and it was a kilometre long. Leshawna grimaced, and she looked like she was about to tell the kid that he’d have to go without him when Duncan chimed in. 

“I’ll find him,” Duncan declared. “I have to go get my flashlight and coat from my cabin. I’ll probably be out past lights out though. What cabin are you in? I’ll sneak in and pass him to you.” 

The kid grinned up at Duncan. “Thank you. His name is Bunny. I’ve had him since I was one. I think he’s past the pond. I’m in cabin nine.” The kid darted from the cabin after that, back towards the camper’s common area. 

“Oh, Duncan, honey, you are too good,” Leshawna said. “Make sure you bring your coat though. It’s gonna get  _ cold _ . Do you want my bug spray?”

Duncan nodded, doused himself in the bug spray out on the porch, and left. He heard Lindsay saying she’d paint Leshawna’s nails instead, if she wanted, right as he left.

Duncan pulled his leather jacket off the bed post for the bunk bed.  _ Can’t believe we have to sleep in bunk beds even though we’re counsellors,  _ Duncan thought. He dug through his backpack under the bed for his flashlight. At least it was a good, heavy duty one. He switched out his high tops for his combats too, since it looked like it might end up raining. He double checked his pockets for his phone before leaving the cabin.

Duncan set off in the opposite direction of the kids’ cabins, towards the baseball diamond. The camp was pretty big, for what it was. There were ten kids’ cabins and two counsellor ones, which were a bit bigger. There was also the baseball diamond, which could be used as a soccer field and other such sports fields. Past that, in the tree line, was the opening for the trail. By the time Duncan had reached the trailhead, the sun had pretty much set. He flicked on the flashlight and stepped over the little rock line that indicated the hiking trail. 

Duncan had barely started out on his expedition when he thought he heard someone calling his name. He paused, swinging the beam of light back towards the trail head. He could see someone jogging towards him, but he wasn’t quite sure who it was at first. As they got closer, he realized they were tall and dark.  _ DJ, _ he realized. He cursed under his breath. This mission just got a lot more complicated.

“What’s going on, man?” DJ asked when he caught up.

“Not much,” Duncan lied, swinging the flashlight back to the path ahead. “Just wanted to go for a walk.” 

DJ nodded, smiling. “Mind if I tag along? I was on dinner duty, so I didn’t get to go on the hike.”

Duncan shrugged. “Yeah, man. Go for it.” They set out together, Duncan scanning the sides of the trail while DJ whistled. Luckily the flashlight beam was wide enough to cover both sides, so DJ wouldn’t be suspicious of what Duncan was actually doing.

After about ten minutes DJ half turned to Duncan. “I haven’t talked to you in like a week, man. How you been, anyways?”

Duncan shrugged. “Alright. Working sports isn’t exactly my favourite, but it’s okay. The kids are pretty good.” 

“They’re so great,” DJ exclaimed, and as corny as it sounded, Duncan could hear the smile in his words. “They’re always so sweet, and I can’t even count the number of them who want to help me do dishes after every meal.”

Duncan smiled. “That is pretty sweet. They help clean up the sports supplies a lot too.”

DJ nodded. “Yeah, the kids are great.” They were quiet for another couple of minutes. It was DJ who broke the silence, again. “I heard from Lindsay that you’re good at nail art?”

Duncan felt his ears burning.  _ Here we go,  _ he thought. “Yeah…” he sighed. “I used to paint the nails of this one girl in juvie cause no one else would and she had shaky hands. I don’t know.”

“That’s really sweet,” DJ murmured. “Why’d she have shaky hands?”

Duncan shrugged. The flush had crept to the back of his neck. “She has really bad anxiety. Whenever she painted her own nails she got it all over her fingers. It was sad, man. She loved that shit, and she was there for stealing it cause she couldn’t afford it. It was fucked up, man.”

Duncan could see DJ nodding out of the corner of his eye. “I getcha man. Why were you in there, anyways? If you don’t mind me asking.”

Duncan sighed. He hadn’t told anyone at the camp yet, not even Lindsay, and she was the best friend he’d made in years. It was  _ hard _ . He knew everyone knew he’d been to juvie; stupid drunk truth or dare on the last night of training. But he hadn’t said why, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to. It wasn’t anything terribly bad, but he didn’t want it to ruin what he had here. Especially not with DJ.  _ Especially  _ DJ. He was the one, more than anyone, whose judgement scared him.

“I’d rather not talk about it, if you don’t mind,” Duncan breathed. 

“Yeah, no problem, man,” DJ replied. “I wouldn’t judge you, but I don’t wanna force you, ya know?”

Duncan could only nod. His whole face, as well as his neck and ears, was burning.  _ How the fuck is DJ so fucking sweet?!?  _ He wondered.  _ How the actual shit is he so good? He’s already a good cook, and funny, and good looking. So good looking. And tall. And ripped. Damn does he have muscles… _

Duncan had zoned out, but he caught himself, shaking his head a little. A soft pink glint caught his eye, off in the grass on the right side of the trail. He ventured over. Sure enough, it was a little bunny; brown with a pink ribbon and minimal dirt on it. “There you are, little guy,” he muttered, standing up. DJ was standing in the middle of the trail, watching him.

“Guess some kid dropped this,” Duncan said weakly. “We should probably give it back.”  _ Fuck, he knows I’m lying,  _ he thought as they continued down the trail. He kept his eyes down for what felt like forever (and was probably only twenty minutes). When he did finally look up, DJ was smiling at him.

“Why do you always act so tough?” He asked. He said it plainly; not like an accusation or a joke, but a genuine question.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Duncan said flatly. He heard DJ huff and saw him shake his head, but he dropped it. Duncan stared down at the dirt, kicking up dust clouds as he clutched the bunny. At this point, his whole body must be blushing.  _ I probably look like a really stupid lobster,  _ he lamented. Of all the ways this could have gone, this  _ had _ to be the worst. DJ probably thought he was a lying asshole or a moron. Or both. Probably both. 

It took another ten or so minutes to reach the other end of the trail. Duncan hadn’t even realized how long they’d been out. It was fully dark by then, and the stars were coming out. The other end of the trail came out next to the lake. The beach was a little eerie at night; the canoes were all put away, there were no kids running around, and you couldn’t see nearly as far around the lake as you normally could. 

“Duncan,” DJ called. He’d been a few steps behind him for a little while. Duncan stopped and turned, the flashlight beam falling across DJ. He was giving Duncan a funny look. He walked closer to Duncan, until he was only about two steps away. Duncan could feel his face heating up again, and he prayed that the flashlight being pointed at DJ would prevent him from noticing. “You’re a really sweet guy, you know? Like actually. I don’t get why you pretend to be so mean when you’re not.”

Duncan sighed and shrugged. “I don’t know man. I’ve just… always had to, I guess.” The look on DJ’s face shifted to a mixture of what seemed like sadness and… anger?

“That’s messed up,” he declared. “But you know you don’t have to pretend here, right? I mean you must, because you paint Lindsay’s nails and go out at night to find a kid’s bunny.”

“I did not!” Duncan protested, but his voice cracked at the end.  _ Shit. Fuck.  _ He sighed again and looked down at the sand. This was a mess. He was going to screw it all up with DJ, and he’d end up spending the rest of the summer pining after a guy who thought he was a weirdo.  _ He may not even like guys, idiot,  _ he told himself. 

DJ chuckled. “Yeah, you did. Cause if you were going for a walk, like you said, you would’ve wanted to be alone, or you would’ve brought music. I know, cause I’ve seen you do it before.” Duncan was a little startled at that; he had a tendency to do that in the middle of the night when he was upset or overwhelmed. He’d thought no one had seen him leaving or coming back. Since when had DJ paid that much attention?  _ Why does he even care? _

Duncan kept his eyes on his feet.  _ DJ’s just being nice,  _ he told himself.  _ He’s just trying to make you feel like less of a freak. He’s gonna go back to the cabin and fucking laugh about it. Laugh at your stupid, gay ass and your stupid, obvious crush. You’re an idiot. Stop it, stop it, stop it.  _ He could feel himself falling into a cycle again. He’d done it earlier that week; that was the last time he’d taken a walk. 

“Duncan?” DJ whispered. It sounded a little off, and Duncan tried to pull back and focus on it. DJ put a hand on his shoulder. “Are you okay man?” 

Duncan thought about nodding, telling him he was just tired, and running off. He wondered if he should just drop off the bunny and walk the road out to the highway.  _ I fucked up, I fucked up, I fucked up, I fucked up.  _ Before he could run off, he let out some kind of little noise; a wheeze or something. DJ grabbed him by the shoulders gently, a soft look in his eyes. “C’mon man, let’s go sit on the bench. I’ve got you man, it’s okay. Can you hear me?”

Duncan nodded numbly. He was trying not to let himself spiral into the negative thoughts. DJ led him to a bench a little ways down the beach and sat him down. He knelt in front of Duncan, placing his hands on his knees. “Do you want me to stay, or should I go get someone else?” He asked. “I could wake up Chris, if you want.” Duncan shook his head; there was no way in hell he wanted his  _ boss _ to see him like this. “I can stay man. It’s all up to you. I wanna help.”

Duncan drew in a deep breath. He wondered if he should see Lindsay. She would be sympathetic, but he didn’t think she’d get it. She’d never known anyone with anxiety or anything like that. Plus, DJ’s voice was soothing; it was just the right mix of deep gravel and warmth. “Stay,” Duncan pled. DJ nodded and sat next to him on the bench. 

“Anything you need, man,” DJ assured. “You’re okay. It’s all gonna be alright. We’re here, we’re safe, and we’re not in danger.”

Duncan nodded along, trying to control his chest. Here he was, an anxious mess in the middle of the night, holding a stuffed bunny in his lap with the hottest boy in the camp next to him coaching him through his anxiety.  _ What the fuck? _ He thought.  _ When did this become my life? _

DJ put his hand on Duncan’s shoulder, rubbing circles with his thumb. Duncan shivered, his ears and cheeks heating up again. He was starting to pull himself out of the singular track, but it was still hard to believe that DJ wasn’t going to laugh at him later.  _ Fucking anxiety. _

DJ eventually shifted, moving his arm around Duncan’s shoulder. Duncan blushed even harder, his breathing stuttering for a minute.  _ What the fuck?!!?!? _ He thought.  _ Is he..? What is he doing? What?  _ “DJ?” He asked, his voice a little high and shaky. DJ looked down at him, and for a second Duncan swore he stopped breathing. He was close enough to kiss, and his eyes were so soft and calm in the soft light from the flashlight. 

“What’s up?” He asked softly. 

“You don’t…” Duncan trailed off. He sighed again. “You don’t think I’m an idiot, do you?”

DJ laughed, a full-on, bellowing laugh. It was Duncan’s favourite laugh, if he was honest. “Oh no, man, not at all. I think you’re a sweetie who’s tryna be tough, with all your piercings and your cute green hair.” He winced after he said that, and Duncan couldn’t help but think that the last part had slipped out.

“So you think my hair is cute?” Duncan teased. The snark was coming back, in a flirtatiously teasing kind of way.  _ Fuck it. It’s half a summer. If this bombs, I’ll never see him again.  _

DJ smiled, tightening the grip around Duncan’s shoulders. Duncan blushed more, despite his bravado. “Actually, I think all of you is pretty cute. Your hair is up there though. And your eyes, and your piercings.” He ran a finger along his eyebrow, pausing slightly where it was pierced. Duncan shivered, and he knew from the little twitch of DJ’s smile that he saw it.  _ He’s going to ruin me,  _ Duncan realized. 

“Yeah, well, you’re pretty cute too,” Duncan declared.  _ Smooth move, dumbass.  _ DJ smiled more fully, leaning a little closer. His eyes were narrowed, and he was staring pretty intently down at Duncan. Duncan reminded himself that he’d already said “fuck it” and took the plunge. “I think your eyes are the most incredible shade,” he said, staring back at the black-brown eyes that were getting obscenely close. He hooked an arm around DJ’s neck, watching his eyes widen a little bit.  _ Take that,  _ he thought. “And your arms are fuckin’  _ hot _ .”

“Duncan, I-” DJ breathed. He seemed really conflicted all of a sudden. “I don’t wanna take advantage of you, man. You weren’t doing so hot, and now… I just don’t wanna screw up. You deserve better.”

Duncan stopped for a second, casting his eyes up to the sky.  _ I’m not gonna cry, totally not gonna cry.  _ He focused back on DJ and flashed him a toothy grin. “I promise I’m fine,” Duncan murmured. “I literally  _ can’t _ think like this when I’m… like that.”

DJ grinned. “Think like what?” He teased. He leaned a little closer to Duncan, their noses brushing. Duncan gasped. DJ brought the hand that had been on Duncan’s shoulder up to cup his face. Duncan’s eyes fell shut, and he brought his other arm up around DJ’s shoulders. DJ leaned in slowly, until finally,  _ finally _ , their lips met. DJ was so, so gentle, not like anyone Duncan had ever kissed before. DJ’s other hand drifted up Duncan’s neck to hold the other side of his face. Duncan gasped at the feeling of his fingers along his jaw. Before he could even think about it, DJ had taken advantage of the opportunity. 

_ DJ’s tongue is in my mouth, _ Duncan realized. The thought alone made him whimper. He dropped a hand to DJ’s waist, pulling him closer. DJ pulled away slowly, catching Duncan’s bottom lip between his teeth and sucking it just a little. Duncan whimpered again, berating himself for the number of times that had happened already.  _ It’s the first damn kiss!  _ He thought. 

Duncan rested his forehead on DJ’s, breathing more than a little abnormal. “That was… awesome…” Duncan sighed, grinning. DJ grinned back, and Duncan could only describe the look as wicked.  _ Oh god. I’m going to die. He’s gonna fucking kill me. _

DJ moved his left hand to Duncan’s side, the other cupping the nape of his neck. Duncan could feel the tips of his fingers shaking with the adrenaline. DJ pulled him back in for another kiss, even more intense this time. Duncan clung to the back of his neck like a lifeline. DJ was an incredible kisser; Duncan could feel himself melting under his touch. When DJ’s hand on his hips hooked in his belt loop and tugged him towards his lap, Duncan followed. He straddled DJ’s hips, sticking his legs out of the gap at the back of the bench between the bottom and the backrest.

It took a lot longer for the two to break apart that time. DJ kept dragging his teeth over Duncan’s lips, holding his hips and his jaw. It wasn’t until he started to get really ambitious with his tongue that he pulled away suddenly. “Wait, do you have a tongue piercing?” DJ asked.

Duncan grinned. “Yeah. Yeah, I do. Why, you like it?” DJ nodded, the look on his face sending a rush through Duncan. He looked up, hoping to break some of the building sexual tension. He wasn’t about to have sex or anything on a bench, especially not on the beach of a middle school summer camp. 

Duncan was startled from his thoughts by a light pressure on his neck.  _ DJ is kissing my neck. Holy shit.  _ DJ was kissing his neck, nuzzling the pulse point where his neck met his jaw. He wasn’t doing anything really intense, but Duncan was still distracted beyond belief. He put a hand on the back of DJ’s head, moving his thumb rhythmically through the short, soft hair. 

Slowly, over the next couple of minutes, DJ moved down Duncan’s neck and got a little more eager. Duncan’s breathing picked up, and when DJ moved the spiky punk collar he loved so much and kissed the spot under that, he fucking  _ moaned. _ DJ grinned against his neck, unhooking the collar.  _ I’m fucking screwed. This is it. I’m gonna die. _

DJ proceeded to  _ cover _ the area that was usually under Duncan’s collar in gratuitous amounts of hickies. Finally, Duncan calmed down a bit and slowly pushed DJ away. “We should go to bed,” he murmured. DJ nodded, leaning in for one more kiss. It was much more chaste than the last few, and when they parted Duncan was fairly certain he wouldn’t end up having to sneak off later. DJ helped him off his lap and stood up with him. They gathered up the bunny and Duncan’s collar, which he put back on immediately. “You’re going to be the death of me,” Duncan said with a chuckle. 

DJ smiled. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He reached for Duncan’s hand as they left the beach, and Duncan let him.


	2. Hickies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long. Life has been hectic. Hopefully there won't be such a huge gap between this and the next chapter.

Duncan woke up a little late the next morning. He’d walked back to the staff cabin with DJ the night before and then they’d parted ways so Duncan could return the bunny. The kid had cried a little, and even hugged him. That was the first time any of the kids had hugged him that summer. 

When he woke up half the guys were already gone, and the others were mostly dressed.  _ Shit, _ he thought, rolling out of bed quickly. His clothes from yesterday were still under the bed; he started pulling on his skinny jeans as quickly as he could. He checked his phone quickly; ten minutes to breakfast with the kids. Enough time to get dressed and get to the kids’ cabins, but not enough to properly wake up.  _ There had better fucking be coffee, I swear to fuck. _

With six minutes to spare, Duncan was out of the cabin. It was a bit of a foggy morning; the lake looked even eerier than it had the night before. Duncan tried to steer his thoughts away. He had to be with kids all day; he couldn’t be dwelling on his late night makeout session now. He wanted to, but he couldn’t.

Duncan met up with the cabin four kids in the communal area. All the counsellors, bar DJ and Beth, were assigned in pairs to one of the ten cabins, as well as working their “section”. Duncan was with cabin four, along with Geoff. Geoff was already chilling with the kids, sitting on a log bench by the fire pit with one foot propped up on a rock. 

“Hey man!” He called when he saw Duncan. Duncan held up a hand in return and flopped down on another log near to the one the kids were all gathered around. It was a little too early to deal with all the hype at once. 

As Duncan was sitting there, praying for coffee at breakfast, he felt a little tap on his shoulder. He turned; it was the little boy from the night before, clutching his plush bunny. “Thank you,” he said meekly. He wasn’t quite looking at Duncan; his face was buried in the bunny’s ears. Duncan nodded, and the kid ran off to Bridgette and Heather, his counselors. Duncan smiled.  _ What a sweet little kid,  _ he thought. He caught Bridgette watching him and twitched, turning away.

Geoff had all the kids engrossed in some story, and Duncan ended up zoning out. He fidgeted with his collar; he felt a twinge of soreness and remembered the hickies all of a sudden. He dropped his hand, ears burning. He’d done his best to make sure the marks were hidden. DJ hadn’t hit the edges of the covered area, so as long as his collar stayed out he’d be fine. He had a sinking feeling it wouldn’t cooperate. 

After another few minutes they were all let into the meal hall. The kids ran inside, cheering and bumping each other to get to the front of the line. Duncan got up to follow them; undoubtedly someone would trip and get hurt. It happened more often than not at breakfast. Geoff grabbed Duncan’s arm as he passed him. “Hold up, dude,” he said. His voice was a little quieter than normal. Duncan stopped, turning his back to the meal hall door.

“What’s up?” He asked. Geoff motioned for him to move a little further from the meal hall. He followed Geoff to the other side of the clearing, by some of the cabins. 

“What happened to your neck, dude?” Geoff asked when they were out of range of the kids. Duncan blushed.  _ I’ve been doing that a lot lately,  _ he realized. 

“I, uh…” He trailed off. He didn’t know how to explain it; Geoff was his foster brother, and he was still a little worried about screwing up the dynamic they had going on. 

“Dude, I’m not gonna judge,” Geoff promised. “I’ve got marks from Bridge all the time.”

Duncan sighed.  _ What can I even tell him?  _ Duncan wondered.  _ He’ll ask which girl it was, and I’ll have to lie, and then he’ll ask her and she’ll tell him it didn’t happen, and then I’ll be screwed.  _ The thought of just coming out to Geoff, right then and there, crossed his mind.  _ His parents are pretty cool. I mean, they’re always saying “future partner” instead of “future girlfriend”. Maybe he’d be cool. _

“Look, it’s… it’s a long story man,” Duncan sighed. He wasn’t ready. There was too much at stake; he’d have to come back the following summer after college, and that’d just be awkward. 

“Duncan,” Geoff whispered. The party-boy persona had dropped from his face and voice. “Man, you don’t have to lie to me. I’m not gonna judge you. No matter who it was who gave you those hickies.”

Duncan stared down at his feet. “You promise?” He mumbled. 

“Yeah, of course. I would never judge anyone for anything like that,” was Geoff’s instant and easy reply. 

Duncan took a deep breath. “It was DJ,” he admitted. He kept his eyes trained on his shoes.  _ There it is.  _ Geoff’s hand landed on Duncan’s shoulder after a minute, and he finally peeled his eyes off the ground to look at him. Geoff was grinning.

“I get it man,” he declared. “He’s pretty damn hot.” Duncan did a double take at that, and Geoff chuckled. “Yeah. Surprise, I’m not straight either! I mean, I’m obviously not gay, given Bridge, but like, I get it. DJ’s a sweet guy. I’m glad things seem positive with you too anyways. Not just crushing?”

Duncan shrugged. “Well, we made out on a bench last night on the beach, after he helped me through a minor panic attack over whether he’d hate me or not. And then we returned a stuffed bunny to one of the kids. I don’t know what he’s thinking now though. For all I know he regrets it.”

Geoff shook his head. “There’s no way man. You were still sleeping, but you should’ve seen him this morning. The guy’s usually chipper, but he was practically singing. He’s over the moon.”

Duncan blushed again, running a hand across the back of his neck. “You think?” Geoff nodded enthusiastically and motioned for Duncan to follow him to the meal hall.

“Yeah man. I’m guessing it’s like what I looked like when I realized Bridge was into me,” Geoff replied. “He was basically skipping. Trent and Owen kept bugging him about why eh was so happy, but he wouldn’t tell them. Probably didn’t know if you’d be okay with it.”

They’d entered the meal hall, and Geoff passed a tray from the stack near the door to Duncan as they joined the meal line. “That’s really sweet, actually. I don’t think anyone has ever reacted like that to me.” He could feel his cheeks growing pink.  _ Fuck. _

Geoff smiled. “Yeah, he’s a sweet guy for sure. Definitely into you.” 

“What’re we talking about?” Gwen asked, turning around in line to face the two. Geoff shook his head a little bit, as if to say “don’t ask me”. Duncan thought about it for a minute, remembering the comment Gwen had made during orientation about her little brother having a boyfriend at one point and how she’d taken them out for icecream.  _ Ah, what the hell. Coming out here hasn’t gone poorly yet.  _ Duncan pulled down the edge of his collar, just slightly, letting Gwen see the hickies. She gasped, clapping a hand over her mouth. 

“That,” Duncan snarked, grinning. “And you’ll never guess who.”

Gwen frowned, brows furrowing. Duncan could practically see her working her way down a list in her head. She even seemed to be scanning the room for all the counsellors. Duncan saw her eyes widen when she scanned the service window of the kitchen. “DJ?!” She hissed, grinning. 

Duncan grinned. “Yeah, yeah, it was him.” Gwen did the little foot-shifting-jumpy thing some girls did when they were excited. 

“I didn’t know DJ was such a  _ freak _ ,” she teased. “For real though, when did this happen? Looks fresh.”

“Last night,” Duncan replied. “I went out to find one of the kid’s stuffies that got lost on the hike.”

“The one who hugged you earlier?” Gwen asked. Duncan nodded. 

“Yeah, that one. And DJ saw me leave and tagged along, and then we started talking, and then I got all anxious that he’d hate me if he found out I liked him, and then he helped me through it.”

“And then you kissed?” Gwen asked.

“Yeah, we kissed. On a bench on the beach.”

“Ooooooh,  _ romantic _ ,” she teased. Duncan scoffed and shoved her shoulder, just a little. They’d almost reached the front of the line by then, and his eyes drifted over to DJ. He was serving up the pancakes to the kids and counsellors. He was joking with some of the kids. Lindsay was standing just behind the kids he was serving just then.  _ I need to tell her,  _ Duncan remembered.  _ I’ll have to sit with her. _

“Aaaaaaand, there he goes with the heart eyes,” Geoff joked, slugging Duncan’s shoulder. Duncan flipped him off behind his back, careful to not let any kids see him while still maintaining his focus. Geoff laughed, slapped his hand down, and waved to Bridgette. She was already sitting at one of the counsellor’s tables with a few of the others. Among them were Cody and Noah, who were being entirely too cutesy for Duncan’s taste. Not because he disliked them, but because he wasn’t currently doing the same with DJ. 

The line finally moved up enough for Gwen, Duncan, and Geoff to start getting food. Duncan took a few slices of bacon, ignored the eggs and toast, lingering behind Gwen as she got her pancakes. When she finally moved on, turning back to wink at Duncan, DJ turned to look at him. “Hey!” He exclaimed. “Morning! How’re you today?”

“I’m pretty good, yourself?” Duncan replied, holding up his tray. DJ smiled and reached under the serving counter instead of into the warming pan. Duncan cocked his head as DJ pulled out a covered plate. On it were three chocolate chip pancakes; Duncan’s favourite. “No way.”

DJ grinned. “I made them with the last of the batter. I know you like chocolate chips.” He shoveled them onto Duncan’s plate. Duncan grinned wider, giving DJ a look that he hoped conveyed what he wanted to say but couldn’t. 

“Thanks man,” Duncan murmured. He side stepped a little to get some fruit and let Geoff grab some pancakes. DJ’s eyes followed him. 

“It’s no problem, man,” DJ replied. “If you really wanna thank me though, you can help with the dishes.” He laughed and served Geoff a couple of pancakes while Duncan’s ears and neck flamed.  _ Is he… insinuating something?  _ Duncan wondered.  _ Does he just want help with the dishes, or..?  _

Duncan was in a daze as he found a spot for him and Geoff to sit and eat their breakfast. One whole side of one of the staff tables was empty. Duncan settled onto the bench, as close to the wall as he could get. Geoff sat down next to him, and a minute later Lindsay came along. “Could I..?” She trailed off. 

“Oh yeah, no problem,” Geoff replied, scooting down the bench to let Lindsay sit next to Duncan. She put her hand on Duncan’s shoulder, smiling. 

“Tell me  _ everything _ ,” she demanded. She seemed really excited. 

Duncan sighed, but couldn’t quite keep the smile off his face. “Well, I went to get that kid’s bunny, right?” Lindsay nodded.

“Wait, what bunny?” Geoff asked. He was leaning forwards to see Duncan around Lindsay. 

“One of the kids came to the girls’ cabin because he lost his stuffed bunny on the hike, so I went to find it,” Duncan explained. “Anyways, I went to walk the hiking trail to find the bunny, and DJ caught up to me before I got too far.”

“What’d he say?” Lindsay asked. She was bouncing in her seat a little.

“He said he wanted to walk with me, and then at some point he made some comment about ‘why do I pretend to be hardcore’.”

Geoff chuckled. “He’s not wrong, bro.”

“Shut up,” Duncan replied, aiming a finger at his foster brother. “So we found the bunny, and then we kept walking, and he was saying what a nice guy I was and asking why I pretended not to be. I got convinced that he was lying, and it kinda set me off.”

Geoff’s expression became more concerned, and he reached across Lindsay to put a hand over Duncan’s. “You alright, man?”

Duncan nodded. “Yeah, he helped me out. And then he accidentally said that my hair was cute, and it got kinda flirty.”

Geoff wiggled his eyebrows, and Lindsay clapped. “Then what?”

“Then we made out a little, and at some point he decided to destroy my whole neck,” Duncan declared. Geoff cackled, clapping, while Lindsay squealed delightedly. Duncan grimaced and covered his ears with his hands. “Guys, please.”

The others quieted down after a minute. Duncan turned his focus to his pancakes before they could get cold.  _ Still can’t believe he made me chocolate chip ones,  _ he thought. They were really good, and the whole time Duncan was eating them he could feel his ears burning. He’d barely stopped blushing since he woke up. 

Breakfast seemed to be going much quicker than usual. The kids were ready to go in what seemed like minutes, and most of the staff disappeared to start with their activities. It had started raining during breakfast; no sports for the kids. Geoff took off with Bridgette to “tidy the beach shack”, which Duncan knew was nowhere near what they would be doing. Lindsay took off to go do her job, and soon enough Duncan was the only one left outside of the kitchen crew. 

By the time he’d finished eating, Duncan could feel the tremor developing in his hands. He grabbed his tray, took a steadying breath, and made his way to the kitchen door. DJ was the only one left in the kitchen.  _ Where’d the others even go?  _ Duncan wondered. “Hey, man,” Duncan said. DJ turned from the sink and smiled at him.

“Hey,” he replied, beckoning Duncan over. “You wouldn’t mind helping me with this, would you? The others had to run to get a shipment or something.”

Duncan set his dishes in the pile and went to the other side of DJ. He took the rinsed dishes from DJ and washed them and dunked them in the sanitizing sink. They worked in silence, DJ occasionally bumping Duncan’s hip with his. They got through the dishes pretty quickly, and before long they were alone with a clean pile of dishes and a dirty dining hall. Duncan started to fill one of the sinks again to wash the tables. “Duncan,” DJ said. Duncan looked up at him. He was leaning back against the sink, still wearing his apron.

“Yeah?” Duncan replied. He shut off the sink, just in case DJ got any ideas.

“Can we talk about last night for a minute?” DJ asked. Duncan winced. “Not in a bad way, man, I promise.”

Duncan nodded. “Alright. What’s up?”

DJ sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “I, uh...” He trailed off. It took him a minute to finally get out what he was trying to say. He kept staring at the floor, or the counters; really anywhere but at Duncan. “I really like you, man,” he finally admitted. 

Duncan blinked a couple of times.  _ Not what I expected,  _ he thought. DJ looked pretty uncomfortable; he was shifting from foot to foot, and he still wasn’t looking at Duncan. “I like you too, man,” Duncan whispered. DJ looked up at him then, a huge grin on his face. He reached out his hand a little bit, palm up, and Duncan put his hand in his. He smiled.  _ Maybe I’m not an idiot. _

**Author's Note:**

> Please comment to let me know what you think! This is going to be my first long fic in years.


End file.
